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Fallout 4: skill books locations visual guide

Improve your abilities without spending precious perk points by tracking down books, magazines and comics.

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Fallout 4: skill books locations visual guide

One of Fallout's most beloved progression mechanisms returns. Pick up magazines and comics and you'll earn special bonuses on a variety of skills and abilities - it's well worth the effort of tracking them down.

Below we've listed every book we've found so far - but as with all our guides for this massive game, it's a work in progress. Check back frequently as we discover and add more loations.

Grognak the Barbarian

Critical Hits with unarmed and melee attacks permanently do +5% damage.

On the kitchen counter in your old home in Sanctuary Hills.

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On a desk in a room in Corvega Assembly Plant. This room is not easy to find, even after you've cleared out all the raiders and turrets. Look for the single blue door dungeon entrance which is locked with chains initially; it's to the west of the Lexington icon if you zoom in on the map, but isn't marked. (If you can't identify this, just look for the room where car bodies are on an assembly line.) From this entrance, turn left immediately and hug the wall until you can climb the narrow stairs to what may seem to be a dead end. If so, press the button to extend the walkway. In either case proceed across the walkway and thoroughly search the two rooms beyond. The comic is next to Jared's Terminal.

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In the little rotunda in the park in Boston Commons. This area is radioactive so don your best protective equipment. And, uh ... beware of the swan.

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As a reward for telling a story to the schoolchildren in Vault 81 during the quest Short Stories. Speak to Katy a few times to kick this off.

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On a terminal desk by the trailer key at Wicked Shipping Fleet Lockup, directly south of Sanctuary Hills.

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On a coffee table in the upper levels of Back Street Apparel.

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On a toilet in the raider camp in the lofty reaches of the Mass Pike Interchange. The easiest way up is via construction lift, some distance from the location icon.

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Guns & Bullets

Ballistic weapons permanently do +5% critical damage.

On the podium in the central bonfire room in Fraternal Post 115.

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On a table in a corner kitchen room in the upper levels of Fort Hagen. Screenshot does not show it in situ, because I picked it up accidentally, but it's right there as you enter this room, which is very close to the ladder leading to the roof. You visit Fort Hagen on the main mission Reunions.

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On the desk next to the radio transmitter in the middle of the courtyard at The Castle. Best collected after the boss fight during the Minutemen mission Taking Independence.

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Sitting on a desk in the locked office in the BADTFL Regional office, near the terminal and safe.

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Astoundingly Awesome Tales

Collection of perks boosting a a variety of damage and resistance types.

In Vault 114, between the bathrooms and the dormitories, on a crate by the dormitory door, next to some candles (the image shows the location, but not the magazine). If you search carefully as you follow Nick Valentine out during the main story quest Unlikely Valentine, you should spot it easily.

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On a lectern at the front of Trinity Church. You can get here from the door by carefully skirting along the north wall; no need to wander through the stairs and corridors.

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Visit the top floor of Hubris Comics and look for the toilet hastily converted to a star's dressing room. The magazine is on an end table next to an armchair inside this room.

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On a desk in Railroad HQ. You can't access this room until you've completed The Freedom Trail and Tradecraft, and joined the faction.

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On the toilet in the cell in the basement at the Coast Guard Pier.

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On the workbench at Outpost Zimonja, a settlement you found during the eponymous Minutmen quest.

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At the Children of Atom base, which is way down in the south west corner of the map, on a little table inside the mother's hut. I do not recommend venturing into this area until the main story calls for it. You must be well-protected against radiation.

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On an end table in one of the bedrooms deep inside the Boston Mayoral Shelter.

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By the Steamer Trunk in the very bottom of the Pickman Gallery. This is a long dungeon so clear out your inventory before making the drop to the lower reaches.

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U.S. Covert Operations Manual

Permanently more difficult to detect while sneaking.

On a bedside table in the bedroom in the lower reaches of the Fort Hagen Command Centre. It's shortly before you confront Kellogg in the Reunions main quest.

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On a desk inside the Intel Room at USAF Satellite Station Olivia. You visit this on sidequest Returning the Favor, available at Abernethy Farm. You need to use the nearby Terminal (advanced) to open the door, but the password is in a locked room deeper in the dungeon.

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On a desk next to the central terminal in the Switchboard. This dungeon is accessible during the Railroad mission Tradecraft.

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On the coffee table in the boss (Red Tourette) room of the Federal Ration Stockpile. The room is south east of the exit leading to the lonely chapel.

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On a desk in a corner room at Fort Strong.

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Taboo Tattoos

Permanently unlock a new facial tattoo.

On a desk inside one of the caravans at Thicket Excavations.

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Next to the treasure chest in Concord Civic Access, a short but twisty dungeon accessible through a hold in the ground at the other end of the street from the Museum of Freedom.

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On a set of low shelves in the barber's salon at Vault 81. Get Horatio to give you a trim while you're here.

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Live & Love

Provides permanent companion upgrades: +10 health, +5% damage and energy resistance, +1 Luck from alcohol when adventuring with a companion, +5% XP when adventuring with a companion, +5% damage, +10% carry weight, +25% bonus XP from persuading women, +25% bonus XP from persuading men, robotic companion inflict +5% bonus damage.

To one side in a small interim room in the upper levels of Faneuil Hall. You visit this location during The Gilded Grasshopper, the second private detective case.

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On top of a toilet in a stall in the bathroom close to the entrance of The Third Rail, a bar in Goodneighbour.

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Look for a bar with pool tables, arcade machines and pinball right by Revere Beach Station. The magazine is right by a cooking station on the top floor.

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Visit the Hotel Rexford in Goodneighbour and take a hard right as soon as you enter. Trot behind the bar to find the magazine on the counter.

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On top of the open safe in the office area in the subway station at College Square. You need to pick an expert lock to get in, so bring Nick Valentine if you don't have the skills. You can also find the key deeper in the dungeon.

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On a side table lit with a candle inside a structure at Fiddler's Green Trailer Estates (south of the Federal Ration Stockpile).

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Picket Fences

Allows you to build new items at Settlement Workshops: statues, picket fencing, high-tech lights, potted plants, patio furniture.

On a desk in an office in the upstairs section of Hardware Town (just south west of Diamond City). The stairs to the upper rooms are in the main warehouse section, or there's a path from the basement.

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On a filing cabinet next to the Facilities Terminal at Weston Water Treatment Plant. You visit this dungeon during the Minute men quest Troubled Waters.

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On a table in the middle of the audience area at the Combat Zone.

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Tesla Science

Energy weapons permanently inflict +5% critical damage.

On desk next to the CEO's terminal in ArcJet Systems; it's on the second level. You visit this dungeon during the early Brotherhood of Steel quest Call to Arms.

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Unstoppables

Permanently gain a +1% chance of avoiding all damage from an attack.

Next to the cash register just inside the door of Hubris Comics.

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On a desk with a broken terminal and holotape in an inner room at Suffolk County Charter School; look for the pink food paste handprints.

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Tales of a Junktown Jerky Vendor

Permanently gain better prices when buying from a vendor.
On a magazine rack in the Super Duper Mart, quite close to the north corner, in a little alcove between two enclosed rooms.

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Next to a lantern on a HoloTape stereo inside Mystic Pines, an open-air ruin northeast of Lexington.

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Tumblers Today

Each issue you collect increases the "sweet spot" when lockpicking.

On a side table in the office and control room of Easy City Downs, a race track raider camp. Climb onto the boardwalk at the centre of the track and cross over to reach this upstairs room.

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Next to the fourth of the Fens Street Phantom's holotapes in the Fens Street Sewer. This is in the north west section of the map, towards the end of the dungeon.

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Massachusetts Surgical Journal

Do additional limb damage in VATS

About halfway up the Greenetech Genetics building, which you visit during the main quest Hunter/Hunted. It's in a long room on the north side of the building, between a pair of couches.

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Corner of a table in the final room of Med-Tek Research.

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Wasteland Survival Guide

Various survival upgrades: swim 25% faster, collect extra meat from animal kills, heal 50% more from fruits and vegetables, take 5% less damage from insects, heal 50% more from irradiated packaged foods and drinks, discount of 10% from food and drink vendors, take 5% less damage from melee attacks. Two issues mark locaitons on your map instead of providing perks.

On the terminal desk in the basement at Gorski Cabin, just south of Concord.

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On a broken cabinet in the Ranger Cabin directly south of Vault 111.

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Next to the Steamer Trunk in a cabin at Sunshine Tidings Co-Op.

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Hot Rodder

Unlocks new paint job options for your Power Armor.

On the desk by the terminal in the little office at Robotics Disposal Ground.

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Total Hack

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At the base of a tree in the centre of Wildwood Cemetery. Not pictured because I picked it up like a fool, but right next to these glowing mushrooms.

More coming soon.

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Fallout 4

PS4, Xbox One, PC

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Brenna Hillier avatar

Brenna Hillier

Contributor

Based in Australia and having come from a lengthy career in the Aussie games media, Brenna worked as VG247's remote Deputy Editor for several years, covering news and events from the other side of the planet to the rest of the team. After leaving VG247, Brenna retired from games media and crossed over to development, working as a writer on several video games.

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